Short-term operating reserve (STOR)

Short-Term Operating Reserve (STOR) is one of National Grid's most important source of reserve energy. Sites are paid for being ready to respond to a STOR event (availability) and for delivered energy (utilisation).

Participating assets are deployed via Flexitricity’s control room to either increase generation or reduce demand, when National Grid needs reserve energy to help them respond to any unexpected mismatch in supply and demand.

STOR is suitable for a wide variety of assets, and Flexitricity has the portfolio needed to choose the best commercial approach for each.

Combined heat and power (CHP) engines and heat pumps;
Standby generators (abated if required under the MCPD regulations); and
Flexible load (lighting, industrial processes, HVAC, refrigeration, etc.).

Sites are paid for delivered energy (utilisation), and depending on the contract type, may also be paid for being ready to respond to a STOR event (availability) within service windows.

Note: fast-responding assets like batteries can participate in STOR; however, they can earn more revenue from providing frequency response, or trading in the wholesale markets and the Balancing Mechanism.

What we do:

We handle National Grid’s STOR procurement processes.
National Grid procures STOR through a day ahead auction process. Payment for availability is pay-as-clear, depending on the outcome of the auction clearing price. Utilisation payments are pay-as-bid to better reflect your costs of delivering the service.
Our large portfolio enables optimal aggregation of customer assets to achieve the best price combination.
Flexitricity ensures revenue agility by offering access to the full range of energy market opportunities.
We provide continuous remote monitoring and a direct line to our manned control room, 24 hours/day.

Setting up:

Assets need a capacity of at least 3MW to participate, however Flexitricity can aggregate assets with other sites in our portfolio to allow participation for all shapes and sizes of flexibility—including EV and domestic energy storage solutions.
STOR is delivered by reducing demand or increasing generation with a few minutes’ notice, and sustaining this for approximately one to two hours.
We connect your asset(s) to our control room via our outstation installed on your site or via an API. We supply our outstations without charge, and we continue to own and maintain them. We also provide communications lines, which we pay for.

We operate on a revenue share basis and we don’t charge management / upfront fees.

Free consultation and revenue illustration

We take time to get to know each site and discuss your requirements and operational parameters. One of our industry-leading team will then compile a detailed revenue illustration. Flexitricity's approach is always grounded in reality—we only promise what can be delivered.

Implementation

Our team works hand in hand with you during engineering, commissioning and testing through to go-live. We also conduct an on site technical appraisal if required

Operation & Optimisation

We discuss and agree with you the best operational strategy for your site. Our operations team and trading desk monitor your site and the energy markets 24/7 and adjust the strategy as needed to maximise revenue for your assets.

Expansion

We help you keep up to date with the latest market developments and ensure you’re aware of any new opportunities.

Our STOR credentials:

Flexitricity is the most experienced STOR aggregator in Britain.
Our unmatched experience in this market has enabled us to maximise STOR revenue for the sites in our portfolio for 12+ years.
Flexitricity has been successful in every tender round since STOR was launched.

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Get in touch today

Book a call with one of our energy market specialists to find out if you can participate and how much your site could earn.

0131 221 8100